Deere 5220 SynchShuttle no reverse

MTGreen · Oct 12, 2022

I have a 2002 Deere 5220 mfwd straddle mount tractor with a synchshuttle transmission. I bought it running but with the clutch non-functional and an issue with the front hub. I have resolved both of those issues and the new clutch works fine. I am able to use all 3 ranges and all forward gears, but it will not go into reverse in any range. It feels like the shifter will not fully engage in gear.

I intend on taking the trans top cover off this evening and inspecting the shifter pivot, the shift rod drive dogs and contact points, and seeing if I can get an inspection cam on the reverse shift fork/idler gear/driven & drive gears.

Does anyone have any experience that they could share? Anything in particular I should be on the lookout for?

Tx Jim · Oct 13, 2022

Welcome to TBN
My guess is reverse synchronizers have failed. I once owned a different brand tractor that had sync-shuttle that wouldn't shift into forward. It had to be split & shuttle synchronizer assembly replaced.

MTGreen · Oct 27, 2022

So to follow up this tractor has two shift synchronizers one for reverse and second and one for first and third, then one range shift synchronizer. After quite a bit of diagnosis and then splitting the tractor both shift synchronizers were broken.

I suspect it was a snowball effect from the abuse of the previous owner. I got this tractor as a very cheap basket case from a life of abuse owned by a golf course. It appears that the sequence of events was such: the clutch pedal was never adjusted which caused the traction clutch throwout bearing sleeve to continuously ride on and then eventually wear completely through the clutch fingers making it impossible to actuate the clutch. Rather than repair this, the tractor was repeatedly started in gear as evidenced by a very worn ring gear and starter gear, then was slammed through the gears without using the clutch destroying the synchros in the process. When the synchros became too broken to continue this process the tractor was parked.

So the moral of the story is #1 keep your clutch adjusted and #2 don't use abusive workarounds instead of fixing your tractor when something breaks.